Broken fence in Aldwick is security worry

WORRIED Ann Rapjohns was alerted by police after an intruder got through a gap in the garden fence at her Aldwick home.

Mrs Rapjohns was alarmed when police officers woke her at 2am on Sunday.

“I couldn’t get back to sleep after that,” she said. “The police told me the man had been seen by a neighbour. As far as I can tell, nothing has been stolen or damaged.”

The 4ft section of fence was blown down early on December 31. She reported it to her landlord, Places for People, a few days later.

She was told she faced a three month wait for repairs when she spoke to the Observer last week and said she didn’t feel safe with part of the 6ft high fence missing. But Places for People has since said the work will take place next Monday.

“They know well enough when they are going to have fences down and they should have enough money in their budget to pay for the repairs,” she said.

Mrs Rapjohns has lived in her semi-detached bungalow in Bell Close for six years.She said: “It’s an exposed site and I get the gales from both the south-west and the north-east. This is the third or fourth time the fence has come down since I’ve been here. They are not putting in proper fencing.”

A Places for People spokeswoman said: “After Mrs Rapjohns notified us of the damage to the fence panel and post, we made an emergency appointment to assess the repairs needed and ensure that the fence was not posing a danger to people or damage to the property.

“We schedule all routine fence repairs on a planned basis and as quickly as we can, to ensure the best value for money for our customers.

“The necessary works to repair Mrs Rapjohns’ fence and post have been scheduled to commence on February 8.”